Then everyone was there. Van, Jude, Neco, Zeke—they all crowded in. Jude was on his phone and I could hear police sirens in the distance. Van and Neco were looking down at Pierce’s lifeless body like they wanted to bring him back to life so they could kill him all over again. And Hunter held on to me tight, kept me plastered to his front, covering my bare chest. I clung to him, buried my face against his throat. “Get me out of here,” I whispered.
Without a word, he carried me out of the room.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Lulu
The police finished with their questions and Hunter walked them to the door. I watched him, the way he moved, the expression on his face. He was struggling.
“You’re angry,” I said gently when he shut the door, stating the obvious.
“Yeah, I’m fucking angry.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I ran . . . I’m sorry . . .”
He shoved his fingers in his hair. “I’m not angry at you, Lulu. Shit, I’m angry at myself for letting you go. I’m angry that I started a fight with you about something so goddamn stupid. I’m angry that fucker got his fucking hands on you. And I’m angry he got off so damn light.”
I didn’t think getting shot in the head was getting off light. “He’s dead,” I said, again stating the obvious.
He stared at me across the room, face stony, eyes scary as hell. “He died easy.”
In other words, Hunter would have made sure his death wasn’t quite so . . . fast . . . or clean. “Are you going to get into trouble?”
He shook his head. “Self-defense. I have five witnesses to back up that story. One of them an ex-cop.”
I swallowed hard. “They’d do that for you . . . for me?”
“Babe, they’ve done it.”
I was at a loss for words. I didn’t know how I would ever repay them. God, Hunter had shot a man for me.
I stared down at the shirt of Hunter’s I’d put on after my shower. It was plain black and soft, and smelled like him, too. I’d stripped off the minute we walked through the door, desperate to wash off Pierce’s blood, his touch, and climbed into the shower, the hot spray almost scalding my skin. Hunter had climbed in with me, fully clothed, and silently washed the blood from my body.
We still hadn’t properly talked. Before the police came, I’d had calls from Sara and Ruby. They’d been out of their minds with worry, and told me they were coming over as soon as Hunter gave the word. Sara had offered to have Josh for the night, and I was thankful for it. I didn’t want him around for this latest drama. As much as I wanted to kiss and cuddle my little boy, I needed some time alone with Hunter. I needed to find a way to explain why I’d left.
“We need to talk.”
“What we both need is sleep.” He came to me, pulled me to my feet, and led me to the side of his bed.
“Hang on . . .”
“We’re sleeping, Lulu. That’s all. I just . . . I need you beside me, okay? When I found out you’d been taken . . . who’d taken you . . .” He sat heavily on the side of the bed and shoved a hand through his hair, then bent down and got to work on his boots, pulling them off. He stood, dragged his shirt over his head, and turned to me. “Please.”
I didn’t know what he was thinking, but he looked exhausted, and I realized he’d been up all night. If it hadn’t been for the GPS tracking Hunter had put on my new phone, I didn’t know if they would have found me, or when they had, what they would have found.
I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. “Okay.” I needed to be close to him as well. I climbed in. Hunter shucked off his jeans and followed. He dragged me close, pulling me over him, and rested his hand on my back.
Neither one of us spoke. It was a long time before his breathing slowed and he fell asleep.
It was longer still before I joined him. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Pierce looming over me, then the feel of his body going limp and heavy, pinning me to the bed. The hole between his eyes.
I finally fell into a restless sleep. I don’t know for how long, but every time I woke, I was surrounded by delicious heat, by Hunter’s scent.
Eyes heavy, I blinked several times. I was awake and this time I was staying that way. Shoving my hair back from my face, I tilted my head back.
My cheek was on Hunter’s chest, his hand on my lower back. His eyes were open and they were on me.
“Hey,” I whispered.
“Hey,” he said back.
“Are you feeling better?” I asked lamely.
His eyes got dark, his jaw getting tight. “No, Lulu. I’m not fucking better.”
Shit. He was still pissed at me, and he had good reason to be. I’d let fear get the better of me and run from him, what he was offering me and Josh, and then I’d gone and put myself in danger, forcing him and his friends to lie for me. Forcing Hunter to shoot and kill someone for me. I tried to pull away. Lying here like this with him, it hurt too damn much. But he held me tight to his side.